Medical investigator rules Baldwin set shooting an accident

(NewsNation) — The fatal film-set shooting of a cinematographer by actor Alec Baldwin last year was an accident, according to a determination made by New Mexico’s Office of the Medical Investigator following the completion of an autopsy and a review of law enforcement reports.

The medical investigator’s report was made public Monday by the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office along with numerous reports from the FBI on the revolver and ammunition that were collected after the shooting.

The FBI forensic report shows that the .45-caliber revolver used in the fatal shooting on the “Rust” movie set could not have been fired without pulling the trigger.

Baldwin, however, told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos in December “the trigger wasn’t pulled. I didn’t pull the trigger.” Baldwin also said he believed he was handling a “cold gun” — meaning one without any live ammunition.

Baldwin spoke about the incident with incoming NewsNation host Chris Cuomo on his podcast, and the full episode will be released Tuesday.

While the FBI report does not provide proof of any intent or suggest that the incident was anything other than a tragic accident, it does call Baldwin’s credibility into question.

Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was fatally shot on the set Oct. 21, and film director Joel Souza was wounded.

In a statement, an attorney for Baldwin said: “This is the third time the New Mexico authorities have found that Alec Baldwin had no authority or knowledge of the allegedly unsafe conditions on the set, that he was told by the person in charge of safety on the set that the gun was ‘cold,’ and believed the gun was safe.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.